Slapende Venus en Amor
1669 - 1722
Medium
paper
Dimensions
210; 188
About this artwork
mezzotint
Art Historical Context
Behold *Slapende Venus en Amor* (Sleeping Venus and Amor), delicate mezzotint on paper by Dutch artist Adriaen van der Werff (1659–1722). Measuring just 210 × 188 mm, this print captures a serene mythological scene: the reclining goddess Venus in slumber, accompanied by the playful cherub Amor. Van der Werff, a master of the Leiden fijnschilders (fine painters), was renowned for his exquisitely polished, almost enamel-like depictions of classical subjects, blending Dutch realism with idealized beauty during the late Baroque era. Mezzotint, the innovative technique employed here, revolutionize...
About the Artist
Adriaen van der Werff · 1659–1722
Dutch painter and draughtsman. He was apprenticed to the portrait painter Cornelis Picolet (1626–79) from 1668 to 1670 and then from ca.1671 to 1676 to Eglon van der Neer in Rotterdam. From 1676 van der Werff produced small portraits and genre paintings as an independent master. In 1687 van der Werff, by then a successful artist, married the wealthy Margaretha Rees (1669–1731), whose guardian, Nic...